I loved the one in Times Square. My buddies and I used to swarm through there like locust many a late night in the early 1970s. Had my first frogs leg sandwich. Usually I had a dog or three, some fries and a fried clam sandwich. Sometimes, when the whim struck, a chow mein sandwich on a hamburger roll, with crispy noodles to give it crunch. If you haven't had a Nathan's chow mein sandwich at three a.m. whilst hangin' with your pals, then you're missing something. The Bear

I loved the one in Times Square...and ONCE tried the frog's leg...never tried the chow mein sandwich...wish I had....and I agree...many Nathan's taste inferior...and is it me or are some of the Turnpike and mall dogs smaller than they should be??

I loved the one in Times Square. My buddies and I used to swarm through there like locust many a late night in the early 1970s. Had my first frogs leg sandwich. Usually I had a dog or three, some fries and a fried clam sandwich. Sometimes, when the whim struck, a chow mein sandwich on a hamburger roll, with crispy noodles to give it crunch. If you haven't had a Nathan's chow mein sandwich at three a.m. whilst hangin' with your pals, then you're missing something. The Bear

In the Mid-Late '70's, I worked at 50th & Broadway and would have lunch at the Times Square Nathan's. The place always had a Buzz of activity, all those dogs on the grill, the wondeful smell, loved hanging out there at lunchtime.

The Rahway Grill on Cherry St. in Rahway was voted most popular stop on the last 2 New Jersey Hot Dog Tours. Many attendees have gone back afterwards only to tell me that a few dogs were sitting on the grill all shrivelled up from being there too long and were served cold. This has been my experience as well. I mentioned this to the owner who said he would do something about it.

I stopped in 2 weeks ago and saw 2 or 3 wrinkled up dogs on the griddle. As soon as the owner saw me he ran out and said something to the girl about keeping the dogs on "the hot side of the grill". I can no longer recommend this place. It's a shame that they do a great job one day a year when they know a Tour is coming in, but neglect their preparation the rest of the year. It is mainly a breakfast and lunch spot but they did serve a very good hot dog. No longer. I'm sure they would do a good job again if they knew a hundred people were coming in but they don't deserve to be on the Tour if they only care about quality one day of the year.

Here is a followup post by someone who has attended the Tours and been to the Rahway Grill:

I agree 100%. They are penny wise and dollar foolish. Some folks just have no entrepreneurial flair or sense. Sure, they make a grand or so once a year by cleaning up their act. However, with a captive audience such as we provide, they could hand out coupons, inviting folks to come back, and in time develop a reputation as a top notch destination...year 'round.

Whether it's hot dogs, buns, or, in the case of Italian Hot Dog purveyors, Pizza Bread, throwing away shriveled or stale stuff is not only respectful of your customers, but good business, and should be figured into the overhead, just like the lights and the insurance.

Rahway Grill is apparently more concerned with a once-a-year charitable nod from us than with being something much, much better than it is. Too bad. The four saddest words apply: What Could Have Been.

Here's a picture of my Texas Weiner sauce. It has the look and texture, sort of, but the taste needs something. It's missing something that I don't know what it is. Think of it as a bland version of a Texas Weiner sauce.

This is right before it goes in the blender. I'm going to let it cool then blend it. Then have hot dogs for dinner tomorrow night.

Those pots my Mom got me for Christmas. $150 from QVC. Nothing freakin sticks to them. I can burn stuff if I wanted and they'll still wipe clean with ease. I can cook rice and leave it there until midnight.. won't stick. Oven safe to 500 degrees, so I can pan sear a steak and then oven finish it.

In Rahway's defense, I drove down before Thanksgiving and met Bruce Bilmes & Susan Boyle for a late breakfast. After incredible pork roll and fish & grits at White Rose System, I convinced them to share a chili & slaw dog at Rahway. It was great as usual, but my only disappointment was that they didn't have any coleslaw available. The nice lady said they only make it during the week, which I could understand. I was intrigued by the poster on the wall of the "World Famous John Burger," as I want to try that on my next visit -- I'll just make sure it's on a weekday! Chris

Just a quick report that my wife and I took a quick (c 20 min.) ride up to Green Village Packing Company on Saturday. This was mentioned in an earlier post by Johnlockdema.

What a unique find! An old fashioned family run meat packing company, way off the beaten path down a country lane. Just an old house with a small processing plant in back, and a cramped walk-in retail shop in front. It seemed very busy, but that may have been due to it being Superbowl weekend.

Anyway, we bought thier special marinated Hanger Steaks, and a pound of the own natural casing Hot Dogs. The Hatfields were not the special Angus ones, but rather the 40 to a box service pack, so we skipped those. Thier own hot dogs are only $4.19 per pound, and are sold in 1 lb (= 8 dogs) cryovac paks, packed that morning.

The steaks, truth be told, were not as good as a couple of hanger steaks I've had in restaurants, but were good enough.

The dogs were excellent. The reminded both my wife and I of Thumans. Terrific "snap" and good flavor.

All in all, we will go back, perhaps to try a different cut of steaks, and certainly for more of those dogs.

They also had a few gallon jugs of Admiration mustard for sale on the shelves. I bought a Dusseldorf one, it was only $5.99. Only drawback is that it doesn''t appear there is much turnover on the mustard, turns out it had a packing date of almost a year ago. It should be good for another year though.

Thanks Johnlocdema for letting us know about this little-known niche in the NJ Hot Dog scene. As I said earlier, I had never heard of this place until you posted about it.

The Rahway Grill , if you give them a heads up , your getting their best , i have to say it's a small luncheonette / diner . there real focus is on their breakfast / lunch crowd ............ they do a good job, doing what there doing , the hot dog is on the back burner ...... not to be cute , but , the hot dog served at the grill ( is a fine dog ) , is dog that had it's day years ago in the city of Rahway....... as town's and city's have changed , there customers have changed , as other places have discovered , hot dog selling isn't what it was ., it a niche food , a food that has to be always presented at it's best, it's a simple food , but need's love to be served , as ................. at the Rahway Grill ............ when it's loved it's great , when it's "not" loved, it's very disappointing ............. reflect's life , no ???????

Here's a picture of my "Texas Weiner" sauce after going through the blender, on hot dogs with mustard and onions. These were the cheapest dogs the store had lol.. Best's. I'm gonna order some Grote & Weigel's soon. The mustard is all I had in the house, Mr. Mustard Sweet Hot, but it was actually not bad on this.

I saw the new signs and there were cars in the parking lot so I stopped in and after peering through the locked doors and the windows someone came out to speak to me; the owner followed him.

I told them the history of the place and hot dogs in the area and they described their vision for this new place on the corner of Galloping Hill Rd. & Westfield Ave. in Elizabeth. What's their vision? HOT DOGS!

Thumann's fryers (6/lb.) and Vienna Beef hot dogs are featured here. They also have an all beef sausage.

No hamburgers, chicken wraps, cheese steaks or salads etc. although they do have a veggie dog. Well, I guess it's 2011 but I'll still stick with my sodium nitrite thank you.

Thanks for the pictures. I was by there myself not too long ago. I spoke with the owner and posted about it on the last page. I was under the impression that they would focus on Chicago dogs and Texas Weiners, but there is a lot of different dogs on the menu.

I was going to stop in today as I was supposed to be off from work. I got called in but figured I might stop in afterwards. Remembering that they closed early, I called their number and got a recording saying that their opening was delayed (again) until Friday the 18th.

I wish them well but am a little leery of a place that tries to do too much. Wish they stayed open past 4. Many people work during the week and unless they live nearby won't get a chance to stop in.

Hello all , Wil be awaiting the reviews on this place in the coming weeks . I'm always looking for new places not far from the GSP , easy on and off , for those long trips to AC . GHI right now is the regular stop for us Benzee

There's a Little League field right across the street from there. Seems like closing at 4PM isn't such a great idea, they'll miss lots of hungry kids, parents, and coaches at the evening games.

That seems to be a jinxed location. There's been at least 4 other operations there over past 10 years or so, none of which lasted very long. I don't know what it is. It's a busy road, easy on-street parking and a small lot. Yet nothing seems to work. I was at each of the prior operations at least once and the food wasn't bad each time. The only thing they seem to have had in common is very slow service. Maybe the kitchen is too small or something.

You said: "I wish them well but am a little leery of a place that tries to do too much."

What's too much? All they have is hotdogs, a sausage, fries, onion rings & some cookies and an ice cream pop; that's it.

Look at The Galloping Hill Inn. The latest owners added gyros, chicken wraps, chicken wings, cheese steaks, chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks etc. I'm surprised they don't have falafel, pizza, sushi, and chow mien for cryin' out loud. That, and look at what they did to the building: they destroyed it!

Like ken8083 said, Out of This World's 4pm closing time is ridiculous; rush hour is only beginning at that time.

Oh, and ken8083, Elizabeth told me that the ball fields have their own concession stand.

UPDATE:

Out of This World did not answer their phone today when I called multiple times to confirm that they were open.

I spoke with the City of Elizabeth about their permits and was told the lady that handles that took the afternoon off and her drawers were locked. I said "There's nothing worse than a woman with locked drawers" We had a laugh and started talking about hotdogs from the area. The lady I spoke with remembered both the outdoor market down the street from Tommy's & Jerry's and the one down The Port. She's as old as me and we reminisced about those great days. She likes the chilidogs from Tommy's but thought that Majestic Lunch's were a little hot.

She said that this was, as ken8083 and I know, the fourth owner of this small parking lot property and also remembered when the hedges around that building were 20' tall. Back then it was nice to be separated from Westfield Ave. while eating lunch.

She brought up Five Points and how it has gone down hill and I agreed. I told her that I haven't been there since I got a hot works and a double w/mustard that smelled of mold & mildew like a funky wet cellar.

Five Points is what locals call The Galloping Hill Inn, that, or sometimes Peterson's but more often Five Points.

She remembered Walt's (42nd St. Bar & Grill) too.

We also talked about Majestic Lunch, which she told me was CLOSED. The owner decided to retire and sold it but there's some sort of problem with the transfer of ownership. We both lamented it's passing.

For those of you who may not know, Majestic Lunch was, or may be again, a storefront luncheonette next to the Liberty Theater on Elizabeth Ave. in Elizabeth. They served hotdogs and chili similar if not identical to Tommy's & Jerry's who are down the street towards The Port and across the triangle island from (Whatever) bank. (The outdoor market was a block behind the bank) Majestic Lunch had a sliding pass through window on the sidewalk and a sit down counter inside as well.

They were never included in any of the hotdog tours. Too bad, I'm sorry to see them go. They had good mustard onion & chili hotdogs.

It doesn't look like Out of this World Hot Dogs will get their final inspection until next week.

Food Fan, As for too much, I mean too much in terms of the many different kinds of dogs they offer. There are 21 on the menu. Not saying it can't be done. I hope they can. Some do. Bubba's is an example. They offer a few different brands of dogs and prepare them different ways. Jimmy Buff's is another. In addition to Italian style, they serve the Syd's dog, a smaller pushcart dog, and a beef/pork Schickhaus.

Most places that attempt this seem to screw up in one way or another. Either the dogs are not prepared well or certain ingredients are not fresh since there are so many choices and a certain topping combination may not sell.

The Galloping Hill Inn is a little different. They are similar to a diner in many ways. So is Pappy's in Totowa, which is actually a Greek Diner. But Pappy's has the same people preparing the Texas Weiners. Galloping Hill has the same few guys who only grill hot dogs. I live down the street and go occasionally although not as much as you might think. I don't think the quality or the dogs have changed since I've been going. Occasionally I'll get a stale bun. But I can't comment on the toppings and their freshness since I get my dogs (usually a double) with mustard only.

Out of this World is a tiny place, so you will have 2 or 3 people doing everything. Of course I'll wait and see. I'm interested in the Vienna beef frank and the Texas Weiner. I hope they prepare these 2 well. I believe they will as I have spoken to the owner.

Sorry to hear about the Majstic. I hope they open again. They served natural casing Sabretts (10/lb) that they griddled. I liked their chili. It was a little sweet and tangy. To me it didn't taste like Jerry's. I didn't care for Jerry's because of all the onions in the sauce. Their dogs are so good I get them with mustard only.

I don't know if you were referring to Jerry's and the Majestic, or just the Majestic not being on any Tours. Jerry's was included a few years ago on the Annual New Jersey Hot Dog Tour. The Majestic wasn't on any of the Tours but would have been worthy in my opinion.

We now have a NEW Italian hot dog at Jersey Joe's that I think would be worth your while to try. It's called a Mex-Italian Hot Dog. It's an Italian hot dog with the difference being that the hot dog that I use is stuffed with jalapeno peppers and cheese. I then put my homemade chili on the dog and pot-pep-onions on top of that. I've been selling them for several months now and the masses love them (including myself).

I called Out of This World today to find out when they would be opening. Today is their first day, and I was told they would be open until 7, so I stopped in. Their hours will be 10:30 to 4 Mon. thru Thurs., 10:30 to 9 Fri. and Sat. Closed Sunday.

I sampled 2 of their dogs. The Texas Weiner (minus onions) and their Vienna Beef dog. The place is tiny and there is no indoor seating. They will have outdoor seating when the weather gets warmer. I had my dogs there at the counter so that I could enjoy them fresh and while they were still hot.

The Texas Weiner is a 6 to a lb Thumann's deep fryer. Same recipe dog as Rutt's and others, but substantially bigger. I like this size better than Rutt's 8/lb. If you just order a plain hot dog (Humanoid $2.00) you will get this dog. You can request the Vienna beef dog instead. In fact all dogs on the menu get the Thumann's except the Chicago dog unless you otherwise request the Vienna.

The Thumann's dog was cooked long enough so that it resembled a ripper at Rutt's. It was nice and hot and the chili was in the same style as Libby's, The Hot Grill, and other Passaic County Texas Weiner joints. You can now get a top notch Passaic/Clifton style Texas Weiner in Union County. The dog plain is a good value at $2.00; a little expensive at $3.60 for a Texas Weiner. But an excellent example of the style.

I was going to order a Chicago style dog until I found out that they fry not only the Thumann's frank, but the Vienna as well. Everything about their Chicago style dog is authentic except the way they prepare the frank. In Chicago it's either heated in water or steamed. A sizable minority of places (Gold Coast for one) offers char dogs. But not fried or griddled. This was a disappointment. I spoke with the owner who told me she is working on getting the dogs to the right temperature. She may offer the dogs boiled or simmered in water in the near future. I sure hope so.

My fried Vienna frank (natural casing 8/1) was good, but not exceptional. If you want a deep fried beef dog, Best's is much better. So is Sabrett. Maybe Hebrew National and Nathan's too. The dog was hot and tasted fine, but it did not have the unique taste a Vienna Beef frank has that's been heated in water. The dogs at J's Beef were better. Even the Vienna dog I had at the Cheesesteak place in Matawan that was boiled too long in overly hot water tasted more like a Vienna. Hopefully the owner can be persuaded to prepare them the way they were meant to be.

I'll be back again definitely for the Thumann's dog with mustard as well as the chili dog. I think I'll wait until they offer the Vienna beef dog in water or chargrilled. One other thing. They use a standard hot dog bun for regular dogs and the Rosen Poppy seed buns for the Chicago dogs. You can request the poppy seed buns for the regular dogs. I got one for the Vienna frank.

I asked why they fried the Vienna's. I was told that they were working on getting them to the right temperature. I guess that means they are more familiar with frying. In my opinion it's pretty easy to drop a dog in water for a few minutes. Since all of the combinations except for the Chicago dog come fried, maybe they just figured it was easy to deep fry all of them. It's too bad that they go through all of the trouble to find a distributor that delivers Vienna Beef products directly to them, use the right ingredients including celery salt, (which is included despite not being mentioned as an ingredient on their menu) but fail to prepare the dogs the right way to make a truly authentic Chicago style dog.

I stopped posting here because I could not see the pictures in posts that had more than 15, 20 or more pictures in them. That's because I reverted to a Win 98 machine when my Win XP laptop died. To me this forum was a college project that is only written for NT machines. The HD with the Win 98 OS on it started the click of death last year and before I could get an empty HD it stopped working. I replaced it with a Win 7 machine. I still prefer Win 98.

I also stopped posting because this forum didn't handle a copy & paste from Microsoft Word worth a darn. I had to rework every single post to get rid of the extra spaces that this forum inserted. That seems to have been fixed.

Yesterday, after confirming with the Elizabeth Health Dept. that Out of this World Hot Dogs got their approvals on Monday, I went over there in the mid afternoon.

I got 6 different hot dogs and the Meteor Mix and an order of French fries and took them the 1/2-mile home and immediately took pictures of them all. Later I uploaded them to Image Shack.

I'll post them when the forum page advances to Page 52.

Benzee,

These are pictures of Chicago style hotdogs from 96 different places in Chicago. Take a close look at the dogs; it looks like most of them are deep-fried. http://greasefreak.com/hotdogs.html

This is a partial response to John Fox who said in post #1520:

"Jimmy Buff's is another. In addition to Italian style, they serve the Syd's dog, a smaller pushcart dog, and a beef/pork Schickhaus."

Maybe you're talking about the one in East Hanover.

In Kenilworth they only have 2 different Best's. One is what they call a red-hot and it has hot pepper flakes in the hot dog mix. The same thing goes for the one on Rt. 22 East in Scotch Plains. The regular dog in Kenilworth is a little better than the one on 22. Jimmy Buff's on Rt. 22 makes pizza too.

Neither Kenilworth nor Scotch Plains has regular hot dog rolls or chili. They both put whatever you order from the menu on a section of pizza bread. Kenilworth has sauerkraut. In Kenilworth the green relish is in little plastic packets.

John Fox said:

"The Galloping Hill Inn is a little different. They are similar to a diner in many ways. So is Pappy's in Totowa, which is actually a Greek Diner. But Pappy's has the same people preparing the Texas Weiners. Galloping Hill has the same few guys who only grill hot dogs."

As we locals have always called it: Five Points, and sometimes Peterson's, and NEVER The Galloping Hill Inn, was never like a diner until the latest owners took over. That's the problem with the present "Galloping Hill Inn": the latest owners turned it into a diner. Just what we needed, ANOTHER DINER.

The first thing they did was to add all sorts of things to the menu (Linked above). If they wanted to own a diner they should have bought a diner and not what was once a great NJ road food hotdog place.

Look at what they did to the exterior: it looks like a cheap copy of the Tick Tock Diner on Rt. 3 East. The Tick Tock used to look more like the Bendix Diner on Rt. 17 & Rt. 46 (Dull weathered stainless steel) until they went chrome & red paint crazy when they re-did the building maybe 15 years ago or so. BTW I've never been disappointed by the Tick Tock's food.

I had a report on "The Galloping Hill Inn" that was just like the ones I did on Walt's and George's but I lost it as well as GB's of other reports and pictures that were on that HD that went bad. Unfortunately I've never found any pictures of the great Peterson's.

Pappy's, like the old GM Diner in Linden which became The Grille years ago seems to be a diner that happens to make hot dogs and have the Greek style of hot dog chili that originated in Paterson, Plainfield and Elizabeth over 60 years ago.

I've gotten mustard, onion & chili hot dogs at the GM Diner/The Grille but I never stopped at Pappy's because there were too many hot dog joints in the neighborhood.

I had aerospace, defense, and medical equipment customers around there but never stopped into a diner for food (Except for a pork roll & fried egg on a hard roll) because, depending on where I was going next and if I had the time, I would stop at The Anthony Wayne on Rt. 46 West or The Hearth or the place next to it (Whose name I can't remember) on Rt. 46 East. Those two on 46 E. that I just mentioned closed years before The Anthony Wayne.

If I was going south I also had the choices of Hank's Franks on 46 E. (Just before the Rt. 17 S. turn off) or The Hot Dog House on Rt. 17 South.

There was another hot dog place on Rt. 17 South past The Bendix but I can't remember its name. The building had brick walls +/- 3' tall with windows between the bricks and the roof around the front and sides of the front 2/3 of the building. It sort of looked like the old Manny's on Springfield Ave. in Union that's next to Rt. 78. Once I hit Rt. 3 East there was Rutt's Hut or The Red Chimney.

After The Hearth and the one next to it and The Anthony Wayne closed, a Falls View East opened on 46 E. I tried their dogs a couple of times and was not impressed. Their chili was ok. So if I felt like eating a hotdog while on 46 E., I kept on going and hit Hank's Franks or what was then Callahan's on 46 E.

I remember another hot dog place opened up in an old wooden building on 46 E. in Little Ferry but they had hotdogs of the same quality as Hot Rod's on Rt. 31 in Glen Gardner & the original Gary's on Westfield Ave. in Eliz. Lousy.

I've taken up enough space so I'll wait a little bit to post the rest and ask my questions of "yuppicide" and "Jersey Joe".

Food Fan, Thanks so much for the pictures. Keep em coming. Although a few of the Chicago dogs pictured appear to be deep fried, I can assure you that the majority are not. It's just not the way they do things there. Maybe CSD can chime in.

As for Jimmy Buff's, I was definitely referring to East Hanover.

Regarding the Galloping Hill Inn, I too am a local. My wife has lived in Union longer than I have. She always referedo it as Peterson's. I call it Five Points myself, except on forums like this. Most people are not locals and only refer to it by what the sign says. I actually had to stop my wife from calling it Peterson's because she would always tell people coming to our home from the Parkway to make the first left after Peterson's. After more than a few people told her they didn't see anywhere called Peterson's, she began calling it Galloping Hill Inn when giving directions. At home we call it Five Points. Not a big deal.

I agree with you about not liking the new look although many do. It does look more like a diner from the outside than a Roadside hot dog stand. Have you ever been inside? Very nice atmosphere that resembles a rustic restaurant, not a diner. And the hot dogs are made by grillmen who cook nothing else. The Thomas family bought the place in 1988. They took the same hot dog recipe (from Gaiser's in Union) and had it made by Grote & weigel because Gaiser's was about to be sold to new owners and they feared the hot dogs wouldn't be the same. They did change the buns from Zimmerman's in Elizabeth to Pechter's. I've been eating hot dogs here for a long time and they are consistently good despite the changes in menu and appearance.

I love the chili at Pappy's. In fact it is my favorite Texas Weiner chili. I included it on the New Jersey Hot Dog Tour a few years ago. Opinions on it were split. Since about half of the atendees thought it was nothing special, I have no plans to include it agian anytime soon. I think there are pictures earlier in this thread by someone who grew up near Pappy's. It was a little hot dog joint (not a diner) until they bought the gas station next to it and renovated it. I think it was in the 70's but I could be wrong.

The Red Chimney on Rt. 3 was pretty good. It was replaced by a Falls View that is lousy in my opinion. Bland skinless dogs that they request do not go through the smoking process. Tasteless chili as well.

I've only been to Chicago twice and that was on business. While I was there we didn't eat hot dogs.

Anyone can judge for himself or herself, by examining the pictures of Chicago hot dogs from 96 different Chicago hot dog places, whether they are boiled of deep-fried. Link: http://greasefreak.com/hotdogs.html

These are the very mildly spiced and slightly peppery Vienna Beef dogs that I bought at Aldi:

The Red Chimney had hot dogs that were better than the salty light baloney-flavored dogs from Rutt's Hut.

The dogs at Rutt's used to taste like hot dogs 25 years ago then they changed. I would stop by there on a regular basis to see if they had improved. The last 10 or 11 times I stopped at Rutt's they still tasted like salty weak baloney.

Maybe I'll try them again but there are a lot of new places that I want to try first.

From Parkway Exit 137 go east on Westfield Ave. through Roselle Park. Get over into the left lane and after the 3rd gas station on the left (The 1st one is very near the GSP) you'll come to a traffic light where there's a transmission repair place on the nearest corner on the right and a dog & cat hospital on the opposite corner on the right. There's an apartment building on the left. That's Linden Rd. Make a left at the next light after this "T" intersection. There's a left hand turn lane at Galloping Hill Rd.

While I was waiting for my order, a guy came in who said he bypassed Five Points (Galloping Hill Inn) for hot dogs and was headed to Tommy's down The Burg when he saw that this place was open. He got a chili cheese dog. Another guy got a Chicago dog and asked if they had Chicago style Italian Beef sandwiches. I told him the only place that had anything like that closed.

The counter at Out of This World Hot Dogs:

Behind the counter at Out of This World Hot Dogs, note the soda bottles on top of the short wall:

This is the beef & pork Thumann's hot dog that has a milder flavor than the all beef:

This is the all beef Vienna Beef hot dog that has a bit more garlic in it than the Thumann's beef & pork:

This is the mustard, onions & chili, often called a Texas Weiner:

I'm not a fan of the Vienna Beef hot dog because it has too mild a flavor for my taste. I like a dog with more spices and garlic in the mixture. I had them for the first time when Aldi advertised them for sale over a year ago. The ones that I bought were labeled "Parkview by Vienna Beef" and very lightly spiced with pepper as the predominant spice.

This is the Vienna Beef Chicago style hot dog, note that they have the poppy seed buns:

Since I like hot food I got one of these; the Uranus that comes with a mildly hot green relish:

This is their Chili Cheese dog:

These are their French fries:

This is their Meteor Mix; chopped hot dogs and French fries with a sauce that is like a mix of mayonnaise & ketchup but you guys try it and be the judge. I think it's a novel and inventive idea:

Hello all , I willl let Food Fan and John discuss the Chicago Style Dog and all , I do not need to look at 96 pics of hot dogs that I cannot now consume to determine the best way to cook them . I happen to love GHI , dont think it looks or feels like a diner at all , especially inside , but everyone has an opinion . it is a hit every yr on our Jersey Hot Dog Tour , the owners have been very kind to our group in more ways than one , and will continue to receieve my biz when I'm in the area

Food Fan, Did you buy the Vienna beef franks at the Aldi in Roselle? If so, do they still carry them? I might be making a trip. Also I didn't know Out of this World served a Thumann's all beef dog. Are you sure they do? I was told that they only have the Thumann's deep fryer and the Vienna. Thumann's all beef tastes good deep fried. The Greco Roma pizzeria in Kenilworth offers a deep fried Thumann's beef dog that I get occasionally.

Pappy's has always been a combo diner/hotdog joint. In fact, It was originally a 'Silk City Diner' that was manufactured in Paterson by the 'Paterson Vehicle Company'. The diner was opened back around WWII (with different names - first the "Boulevard", then the "White Way") by the original owner, Spiro Papanou, who's nickname was "Papa". And eventually the name of the diner was changed to Pappy's. In the early '60's, the current owner (nephew of Papanou) came to work there and he and his wife took the place over in the '70's. Around the mid 80's changes were made to make it more of a 'restaurant'. And by the late '80's or so they purchased the gas station next door with plans to expand into an even larger diner with more parking. That became a very expensive and long process when it was discovered that some of the underground tanks had leaked over the years and there was a serious (read: very expensive) cleanup to be done before any expansion of the diner could take place. And that happened in the 90's - and is what you see today. The whole while, though, they have kept their Texas Weiners - and the chili recipe - the same.

The link you gave as being a Pappy's blog apparently is someone else's blog. If you look at the top of the page it says "The Galanter Family from The Garden State" and the post on Pappy's is just a review w/ pictures of their visit there.

Yes, I bought the Vienna Beef dogs at the Roselle Aldi on St. George Ave. Judging by the link that I posted above it looks like I bought them 2 years ago. Boy, time flies.

I looked at the store locator http://bit.ly/fG77vn on the Aldi site and they don't list a phone number for the store. I haven't been to Aldi since I bought those hot dogs so I don't know if they still have them.

For confirmation of the 3 types of hot dogs that Out of this World Hot Dogs serves, I suggest you read their menu that I've posted here two times. You also might take a look at the pictures that I posted. The difference between the two hot dogs is obvious.

You also said: "The Red Chimney used the same Thumann's deep fryer that Rutt's does." Sorry, Rutt's were longer and thinner than the short fat dogs at The Red Chimney. The rolls were pretty much the same size.

Too bad I can't go back in time and take pictures and make the comparison.

I took pictures of Greco Roma Pizza & Grill last year and this year in preparation of a report. I always get two mustard, onions & chili from them when I'm in Kenilworth.

This is the Yelp site that includes a little map: http://bit.ly/euWSq7 Click on the map and you'll go to a much larger one.

Coming from the Parkway or Michigan Blvd. they are on the left hand side of Boulevard going toward Nomahegan Park.

I have at least 15 pizzerias near me so the only thing that I buy there is the hot dogs.

This is a nice hot dog. It's a deep fried Thumann's. I always get what they call a Texas Weiner. It has mustard, chopped onions and chili on it.

The "Texas Weiner" is $2.59 A hot dog with mustard, relish or sauerkraut is $2.18They also make an Italian hot dog and I'm guessing that they use a sub roll of some kind for that. A single Italian hot dog is $4.25 A double Italian hot dog is $4.95

These hot dogs are very good and well worth the trip. Of all the hot dogs available in Kenilworth I like these the best. They have a chili that is unique and has a very good flavor. The chili is finely ground, nicely spiced and has a very slight hint of vinegar. There is a little bit of heat to it as well. I like its originality and consider this dog a treat.

This is the building:

This is the counter:

They put the take out dogs in aluminum pans that are from inside edge to inside edge 8 3/8" in diameter. The paperboard boats they put them in are 5 1/2" long

This is a plain with mustard that I got this last month: (It sat in the car trunk for about 4 hr.'s before I got home & took the pic)

This is a picture that I took last year of two mustard, onions & chili dogs: (I asked to have one the way that all the old places made chilidogs; mustard then the onions and the chili on top. That way the onions don't fall off the dog while you're eating it. They were in the trunk +/- 2 hr.'s)

These are two mustard, onion & chilidog's that I bought last month: (After 4 hr.'s in the trunk)

They are obviously consistent but previously they put more onions and more chili on the dogs.

Thanks for the clarification regarding Pappy's. I should have gone back and checked your description from a few years ago. I thought Pappy's only became a diner after the expansion.

Food Guy,

I should have been more clear regarding the dog at Red Chimney. While it's not the same dog, it is the same recipe Thumann's frank for deep frying. Thumann's makes 3 recipes. The deep fryer (pork/beef), the griller (pork/beef), and an all beef frank. They come in various shapes and sizes as well as skinless or with a casing. Out of this World, Rutt's, Pappy's, Libby's, Hiram's, Falls View, and many more all use the same recipe Thumann's deep fryer.

I'm impressed that you go to Greco Roma for their hot dogs. I thought I was the only one. I like the chili although it's a little spicy for my tastes. Last time I went the dogs weren't hot enough even though I ate them there. Most of the time they are very good. Only complaint is that the buns fall apart sometimes.

I sopke with the owner of Out of this World today. She confirmed that the only Thumann's frank they serve is the pork/beef deep fryer. They do not serve the Thumann's beef hot dog. They also serve the Vienna beef frank and the Vienna Polish sausage.

I think I'll drive to Aldi's after work. Keep the pictures coming. Glad to have you back.

When I spoke to the owner last week she told me that they were going to have the Thumann's beef, their pork & beef as well as the Vienna Beef and a veggie dog.

When you posted your reply I had to check so I called and she told me that she misspoke when she told me that they had a Thumann's beef dog.

Therefore, you are correct sir!

That picture of the all beef dog is a Vienna Beef dog.

I'll change the description ASAP.

She also told me that she made a mistake and put the regular green relish on my Chicago dogs instead of the neon green relish. I told her that I knew and couldn't care less. The neon green relish tastes the same as the regular green relish.

As for Libby's & Falls View, they had thinner dogs that tasted better (More spices & garlic) than Rutt's and Hiram's as well as Callahan's were thicker and longer and tasted a lot better than all the aforementioned.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

This is the Thumann's hot dog selection that's available at this time:

I went to Aldi's today despite speaking with someone from customer service in Chicago who told me that there would be no Vienna Beef franks in New Jersey. They only have it as a special item occasionally. Last time it was in Roselle was last August. They may have them again next summer. I picked up a few other items at Aldi's.

The owner of Out of this World also misspoke when she told me originally that the Vienna beef franks would be 6/1. They are 8/1. The Thumann's are 6/1.

Callahan's used a beef/pork dog made by Sabrett. Same dog that is used by the Windmill. Callahan's deep fried theirs, while the Windmill cooks their dogs on a griddle.

I was told by the plant manager of Thumann's that their beef/pork franks contain no garlic. Only their beef franks. Libby's at one time used another dog prior to Thumann's. I don't know about Falls Grill.

This is getting way too compliicated for me. Any chance I can get one of those plastic graph wheels, where you turn to, let us say, Jack's Hot Dog Stand, and in the open space in the wheel it says: Thumann's, Pork/Beef, grilled, 6/1, n/c, every day but Tuesday, when they have Best All Beef 10's, skinless, except on the last day in February during Leap Year, and when the owner's son, Melvin, has a birthday, and then they have a free Weenie Roast featuring Best 5's n/c over a campfire in the backyard for everyone named Sals or Hubie. ("Gosh, " said the owner one year, "I never thought there were so many Sal and Hubies.")

If I could keep track of all these permutations, I'd of probably passed Organic Chemistry and become a famous plastic surgeon...who eats hot dogs.

I actually did buy the Vienna Beef Hot Dogs last summer at the Aldi in South Plainfield. My opinion was that they were awful! I have no proof of course, but these cannot possibly be the same recipe as the Regular Vienna Beef Hot Dogs that are famous in Chicago. They had very little flavor at all.

In fact, for the first time in my memory I threw out the rest of the package after having two of them for lunch one day. Another thing, although it's not clear from the picture in the ad, this is not a one pound package but rather a 12 oz package. The dogs were not 8/lb.

Currently that Aldi has "Parkview" Beef franks, the Aldi store brand. And although there's no mention at all as to where they are made, the are much better than thier "Vienna Beef" Hot Dogs, and they are 8 to a pound.

Ken, its easy to spot genuine Vienna franks. The USDA plant number is 1! When Target sold skinless Vienna franks in NJ a few years back, they did not have the same forumla as the natural casings ones. They also didn't sell, perhaps because of lack of name recognition. Most of Aldi's Parkview meat products are made by mid-west firms, and there are more than one manufacturer supplying the products.

I had a report on 15 kinds of hot dogs, all cooked the same way with pictures and descriptions that was lost on that HD I mentioned. I still have the packages. The only ones that are 12 oz. are Hebrew National and Parkview by Vienna Beef.

I took some new pictures of the Parkview by Vienna Beef today.

This is a close up of the Parkview manufacturer area of the label/wrapper:

I was at Aldi's yesterday. I bought a package of the Parkview chicken and pork franks (75 cents) for my dog and a package of the Parkview brats for myself. I took a quick look at the Parkview beef franks and didn't notice anything saying Vienna Beef or Chicago style. The customer service rep I spoke with before going to the store told me that they occasionally get Vienna beef franks. I don't know if they are the same as what I had at Target or if they are the ones pictured here under the Parkview label. I agree with Ken; the dogs bought at Target were not that good. And definitely a different recipe as confirmed by someone I spoke with from Vienna Beef.

The rep said that the private label franks for Aldi are made by regional producers. Since I had not entered Aldi's yet, I did not know of the Parkview name. I asked if the franks sold at Aldi's were probably from a manufacturer in this region. She said they probably were but could not name who made them due to a confidentiality agreement. So what's there now is probably not made by Vienna. I should have bought a package. By comparing ingredients lists and going by my own taste, I can usually figure out who makes the franks.

Pathmark has, or used to have franks in some of their stores made by three different places. Sabrett, Best's, and Dietz and Watson. Best's and Sabrett have only one recipe for their beef franks, so if you bought the Pathmark brand made by either of these, you were essentially getting the regular Sabrett or Best. And for less money too. Not only that, but the Best franks sent to Pathmark were 6 to a lb. You cannot get these under the Best label in any stores. Once while I was at Best I saw the franks with the Pathmark label.

I remember tasting the beef franks at Stop & Shop a few years ago and thinking they tasted exactly like Pearl. I made a few phone calls in an attempt to find out. Two different people called me back. One mentioned the confidentiality agreement. The other person told me the beef franks were made by Pearl. I guess she wasn't aware of the agreement. The beef/pork franks were made by Kayem.

Taste has ALWAYS been my first criteria. I got to a point where I collected menus from the many different hot dog joints that I visited again & again and I wrote down my judgments of their plain w/mustard and mustard, onions & chili dogs as well as their French fries. Yes, they were scribbled on my lap while eating in my car.

To further clarify the U.S.D.A "EST' numbers that are included on food packaging, this is the label from a package of the Windmill brand of hot dogs that were sold at local Food Town/Food King supermarkets.

This is the label from the Windmill hot dog package:

This is a news article about "EST. 8854"; Marathon Enterprises Inc. They make Sabrett, Western Beef and used to make hot dogs for George's on Elmora Ave. in Elizabeth and obviously make the Windmill brand as well.

Over the course of 4 years I bought them twice and won't ever waste a penny on them again. They don't taste like what I used to buy & eat in West Long Branch or even Belmar (Their 1st "satellite" store).

I tried them slowly fried on low heat. I tried them fried on high heat. I tried them boiled for a short time and fried slowly on low heat and boiled for a short time and fried on high heat. They NEVER tasted like what I got in West Long Branch.

The last time that I bought the bland Windmill brand in a Foodtown supermarket I put the last 4 dogs left in the package into my smoker during the last hour of smoking two different beef briskets that I turned into pastrami. I did not add any fresh hickory chips to the fire during that hour.

Before:

After:

After sitting in the smoker for just an hour at low heat as the charcoal & the burned hickory chips were down to embers, the flavor of the store bought Windmill hot dogs were improved 100%.

Maybe next time I have the smoker crankin' I'll put some "Bar S" dogs in it. I wonder how they'd come out.

The Sabrett beef/pork dogs you bought are supposed to be the same as what is served at all Windmill locations. Surprised that they didn't taste the same. The Hot Grill uses these dogs but in a much smaller size. They deep fry them.

Last time I was in George's one of the owners told me that they used Best's and before that a brand called Always Tasty, which is no longer made.

A woman I work with who has been a steady customer of Charlies in Kenilworth (once a week) for 15 years went to Jimmy Buff's in Kenilworth a few days ago for the first time. She told me it was her favorite Italian Hot Dog, surpassing Charlies. She mentioned that there were a ton of peppers. This was a surprise since many complained about the lack of peppers. I also didn't get many the last time I went. My wife had just one pepper on her sausage sandwich.

I ordered an Italian Hot Dog for pickup to take home today. I got home and was pleased to see an abundance of peppers on my sandwich. Hopefully they either worked out the kinks or took the criticism seriously. In any event the Italian Hot Dog I had was excellent. The dogs even looked bigger. I'm pleased to say that this location has gotten better. Not only is the sandwich more substantial, but the service is quicker and better.

There were people sitting and enjoying their food. Some were waiting for their orders. After leaving I drove past Charlies. No one was inside at 12:30.

wow .............. what a history lesson ......... ok, i have to say GHI , the new look of polished chrome and red accent's , is a bore ...... yes , the charm of years past is long gone .......... call it five points , call it peterson's call it GHI ....... but, the old charm as been covered up..... have to say , i going to say many of NEW JERSEY'S diners have disappeared because of extended menu's ......... lets get the history lesson on diner's the over lapped hot dog and hamburger stands .................. stewart's ....... one example ............... GHI is heading that way also !!! do what you do best , stick with it ............ no surf and turf for me at GHI................ let's not forget , the invasion of all the great fried food's these places want us to purchase and love ...................... sorry , it's at its best, simple and fresh , that makes the mark on the palate !!!

A woman I work with who has been a steady customer of Charlies in Kenilworth (once a week) for 15 years went to Jimmy Buff's in Kenilworth a few days ago for the first time. She told me it was her favorite Italian Hot Dog, surpassing Charlies. She mentioned that there were a ton of peppers. This was a surprise since many complained about the lack of peppers. I also didn't get many the last time I went. My wife had just one pepper on her sausage sandwich.

I ordered an Italian Hot Dog for pickup to take home today. I got home and was pleased to see an abundance of peppers on my sandwich...

This post is not about hot dogs but it is hot dog related (italian h/d).

In defense of Charlies actions I must tell you that prices of pot/pep/onions can sometimes more than double in 1 month then go back down again. Produce fluctuates in cost but we have to hold the price on our dogs. Not an easy task.

Which of the owners of George's did you speak to concerning the brand of hot dogs they used? A physical description will suffice.

Why wasn't George's ever visited by the "Munchmobile"??

You said that your wife likes the hot relish at Five Points. I've been getting what Peterson's called the "Hot Works" for many years. Just in case she may not have tried these, I thought I'd let you know about them.

The B&G Hot Chopped Peppers that come in a 12-sided jar are identical to what they have at GHI. I always use it when I make a hot works hot dog.

Jersey Joe,

I had said that I had a question for you; not any more. I got your address from the thread that Ellen started about your place.

I used to do a lot of fishing on the beaches from Morgan Creek down to Belford. Always got skunked and don't go there any more. The next time I'm in the area I'll definitely stop by your place.

A woman I work with who has been a steady customer of Charlies in Kenilworth (once a week) for 15 years went to Jimmy Buff's in Kenilworth a few days ago for the first time. She told me it was her favorite Italian Hot Dog, surpassing Charlies. She mentioned that there were a ton of peppers. This was a surprise since many complained about the lack of peppers. I also didn't get many the last time I went. My wife had just one pepper on her sausage sandwich.

I ordered an Italian Hot Dog for pickup to take home today. I got home and was pleased to see an abundance of peppers on my sandwich...

This post is not about hot dogs but it is hot dog related (italian h/d).

In defense of Charlies actions I must tell you that prices of pot/pep/onions can sometimes more than double in 1 month then go back down again. Produce fluctuates in cost but we have to hold the price on our dogs. Not an easy task.

Jersey Joe,

I wasn't talking about Charlies being skimpy with peppers. It was the Kenilworth location of Jimmy Buff's. They are new and many people, including myself got precious few when we first went. I'm happy to say that they changed their policy. This was brought to my attention by a co worker. Charlies puts a lot of peppers on their sandwiches. The woman I work with went to Buff's for the first time and liked their sandwich better because she preferred the bread and potatoes at Buff's to Charlies. I don't think all of a sudden the price of peppers went down in the last 2 weeks. I think they decided to add more in response to customer comments here and elsewhere.

I've spoken to Jimmy who owns East Hanover and West Orange Jimmy Buff's restaurants. He has told me how expensive the ingredients are and how they go up. Same with the malt and hops in beer. But I don't think anyone should skimp on any of the ingredients; especially peppers. They are an important part of an Italian Hot Dog. It would be like leaving off the cheese on a pizza.

Which of the owners of George's did you speak to concerning the brand of hot dogs they used? A physical description will suffice.

Why wasn't George's ever visited by the "Munchmobile"??

You said that your wife likes the hot relish at Five Points. I've been getting what Peterson's called the "Hot Works" for many years. Just in case she may not have tried these, I though I'd let you know about them.

The B&G Hot Chopped Peppers that come in a 12-sided jar are identical to what they have at GHI. I always use it when I make a hot works hot dog.

Jersey Joe,

I had said that I had a question for you; not any more. I got your address from the thread that Ellen started about your place.

I used to do a lot of fishing on the beaches from Morgan Creek down to Belford. Always got skunked and don't go there any more. The next time I'm in the area I'll definitely stop by your place.

Food Fan,

I don't remember which owner I spoke with or what he looked like. I just remember him telling me that they served a brand called "Always Tasty" until it was no longer made. Then they switched to Best's. It was what I had when I went to George's.

As for the Munchmobile, I don't know why they never visited George's. I was only a member several times; I didn't get to decide the itinerary. Pete Genovese always went by reader recommendations and e-mails. They usually only went to a few places and didn't do hot dogs every year. By the time they decided to review 87 places (in 06), George's was gone.

I started going to George's when he had his wooden cart. The way I figure it; over the course of over 40 years I was probably there over 400 times. When I walked in the door and up to the counter they all recognized me because I had been going there so often and for so many years.

After George's was sold there were two owners. Then one of the older guys (Co-owner?) disappeared. I never asked what happened to him because it was none of my business.

For the last +/- 20 years of George's existence there was only one owner. He was the older rather gruff gentleman. There were 2 younger guys that worked the counter. For a very short time there was a young lady that also worked there.

I'll say it again.

It was some time in the 1990's that I asked the owner of George's what brand of hot dogs he used. He told me "Marathon".

The man that I asked: "What kind of hotdogs are these?" was the older guy, the owner.

That was the first of only two times that I have ever asked that question at any of the many places where I've eaten hot dogs.

David_NYC discovered that "Always Tasty" went out of business in 1993. That jibes with George's owner telling me they used Marathon dogs when I asked him sometime in the 1990's.

I think that David_NYC should be called David_FBI.

Could they have switched to Best just before they closed? Sure.

Because of working late and going down the shore on weekends I hadn't been there for at least six months or more before they closed. When I finally got there I saw a sign that said that a doughnut place was going to open.

That brown "Always Tasty" sign hung on the white back wall and really stood out. For me it was there so long it just became part of the wall.

Side note:

I remember when George's decided to open for breakfast. It could have been in the late 1980's or early 1990's. They bought corrugated plastic signs with the new menu on them and hung them over the front counter. Since I was a regular customer of theirs I went there for breakfast to try and help them get started but it was opposite to the direction of my job so I only had breakfast there a few times. That, and I'm not much of a breakfast eater. I think the early opening lasted maybe a year.

I sure miss that place. I think I'll try my hand at the chili again. I came pretty darn close the last time. This time I'll measure what I use. Boy, that will be a pain in the caboose but if it comes out right I'll post it here so that other George's fans can taste it again.

As far as the reason why the Munchmobile never visited George's, I think the Munchmobile started in 1998. Didn't George's close a couple of years before that? (Sorry if the answer to when they closed is somewhere in this thread, I only looked back a couple of pages).